Ten thousand steps per day? The Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research advises that approximately ten thousand steps each day is the number of steps needed to meet the established guidelines for physical activity set by The American College of Sports Medicine and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (About five miles). The Cooper Institute of Aerobics Research found that ten thousand steps each day may be helpful in lowering body fat, improving blood pressure and increasing cardio-respiratory (aerobic) fitness.

In a two-year study done at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research, gym-goers initially showed higher fitness levels, but ultimately the lifestyle exercisers were better at maintaining their fitness over the long haul. If you already go to a gym and it is working for you, don't quit now! But if the gym is too intimidating, too inconvenient, there is an alternative: develop simple, healthy habits. Train at home with home gyms or home trainers.

The Cooper Institute has determined that people should try to walk 7,000 steps a day at a minimum, with 10,000 being optimum. To find out where you fit in, pick up a pedometer. They're available at most sporting goods stores for $12 to $50 (less than the cost of a month's gym membership). If you find yourself falling short, try to make a habit of the following:

1. Take the stairs whenever possible.
2. Walk every supermarket aisle, whether you need to or not.
3. Get up from your desk and take a three-minute walk every hour.
4. Park your car in a space farthest from your destination.
5. Use a cordless phone and walk while you talk.

As a matter of fact, the Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research has determined that by taking "10,000 Steps" per day, you will meet the U.S. Surgeon General's recommendations for physical activity. This translates to about 30 minutes of moderately intense physical activity daily. You will also improve your overall fitness, cardiovascular health and blood sugar control.

How do you keep track of your steps? You don't need to join an expensive gym. All you need is an inexpensive pedometer. It provides instant feedback on a daily basis about how you are doing to reach your fitness goals. It is easy, inexpensive, lightweight and needs no extra space. Log these steps in a journal or wall calendar and you are well on your way to establishing a healthy, long-lasting activity routine.

Experiment by using your pedometer during your typical week and weekend days. Where are you? Experts say the typical American logs 3,000 to 5,000 steps per day. With a little extra planning and effort, you may be lifestyle-healthy before you know it. Looking for ways to increase your steps without adding extra hours into your day? Try the following suggestions. Take stairs, park a distance from where you want to go, take short walking breaks throughout your day, walk to a friend?s or co-worker?s instead of using the phone or e-mail, walk the perimeter of the field during sporting events, or play music and dance around the house.

Electronic pedometers have become increasingly popular "movement motivators" in health promotion programs, including weight loss clinics, corporate fitness centers and physical education classes. The palm-sized gadgets clip onto your waistband and record the number of steps you take, with more sophisticated models also calculating distance covered and calories burned. The goal for good health, many experts say, is to accumulate 10,000 steps per day.

"People love it because they get immediate feedback on how active, or inactive, they are," says David Bassett, an associate professor of exercise science at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Unlike old-style mechanical pedometers, the newer electronic versions are extremely accurate, says Bassett, whose study testing five popular models appeared in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise.

The Japanese have used electronic pedometers for more than a decade to help counteract sedentary lifestyles, Bassett notes. Nicknamed "manpo-kei," which means "10,000 steps meter" in Japanese, the devices were brought to the United States in the mid-1990s by exercise scientists who used them to determine daily activity levels in research studies.

"Most researchers had been using questionnaires to record low to moderate activity levels," he notes. "But their accuracy was questionable because people often can't remember how many flights of stairs they climbed or how often they got up and walked." In contrast, electronic pedometers are an extremely accurate means of recording daily life activity. Study participants found the devices so helpful that, over the last several years, pedometers have become an increasingly popular tool for helping motivate people to become more active.

Most sedentary people take only about 3,000 steps per day, says Bassett, and "they must make a concerted effort to get 10,000." These steps can be accumulated in formal exercise programs or through lifestyle activities such as climbing stairs or walking to do errands.

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